Spy Classroom - Volume 7 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

I know the Volume 7 afterword isn’t the greatest place for it, but I hope you don’t mind if I take a moment to talk about my writing process for Volume 6.

I’m pretty sure it’ll be announced by the time this goes on sale, but Spy Classroom is getting an anime adaptation. How cool is that?! And it’s all thanks to you readers. Thank you all so much.

Now, I’m sure a lot of you are wondering, How are you going to pull off the twist from Volume 1? and as far as that goes, the people involved in the anime’s production came up with a really good idea. It won’t be exactly same as it was in the novel, but they’re treating the material with a lot of respect. I’m incredibly grateful. There are tons of people doing some amazing work on the project, and it’s packed with little touches that made me go “Wow, you’re really going to that level of polish?” in amazement. More news will be coming soon, so make sure you check out the official Twitter account.

I attended each and every one of the script meetings, and while the latter half were mostly online due to the COVID situation, the ones during the period when the infection rate was low took place in a conference room where I got the chance to talk to loads of different people about Spy Classroom. I was writing Volume 6 at the time, and during those conversations, something caught my attention.

Wait… Is it just me, or is Monika crazy popular?

I didn’t go around asking people to fill out a survey or anything, but it surprised me just how many people I spotted saying, “Oh man, I love Monika.” I mean, she hadn’t even had her spotlight volume yet. Now that I think about it, though, I see a lot of people echoing that sentiment on Twitter and in the fan mail I get.

I really appreciated it, don’t get me wrong, but at the same time, I felt the pressure of their expectations weighing down on my shoulders.

…I have to make sure I really nail the Monika volume.

Now, here it is. How did you like it? It’s a good bit longer than usual.

At this point, I have some people I’d like to thank. Tomari, thank you for continuing to bless the books with your wonderful illustrations. Every time I hear about the schedule they have you on for the anime project, I shudder. Tomari’s got so much to do!! I think. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself.

I’d also like to extend a special thank-you to M, whose help was invaluable on this volume. Look, M, I finished it.

Last up, I have a preview of what’s to come. The next book is the final volume of the second season, and it should go without saying who the focal girl will be. This time around, the girls who got left out of the main Corpse mission—the unchosen squad—will be going up against the big bad. This is where Lily, Sybilla, and Sara begin their counterattack. Them, and one other person who didn’t get to strut her stuff this time around. Until then, that’s all from me.

Takemachi